A vegetarian winter-warming recipe from Kathy’s Kitchen!
Ingredients:
- 2 lbs fresh asparagus
- 2 c whole milk (plus 1 c for thinning, if needed)
- 2 c chicken or vegetable stock
- 3 Tbs unsalted butter
- 3 Tbs flour
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp onion salt
- ⅛ tsp freshly ground pepper
- ½ c heavy cream
- Bend the stem end of each asparagus spear until it breaks naturally and discard the tough ends. Fill a wide-bottomed saucepan with ½ inch of the stock. Arrange the asparagus spears in an even layer. Sprinkle with onion salt. Bring to a boil. Cover and steam for 3 to 5 minutes. Let cool to lukewarm, about 5 minutes. Puree the asparagus in a blender. You might need to add some stock.
- Pour the milk and stock into separate small saucepans and place them over low heat. Heat the milk and the stock until small bubbles form around the edge of the pan, then remove them from the heat. Do not boil the liquids.
- Place a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-low heat and add the butter. When the butter has melted and the foam begins to subside, sprinkle flour evenly over the butter. Stir with a whisk until the flour is completely blended with the butter and no lumps of flour are visible, about 2 minutes. This roux is used to thicken the soup.
- Gradually add the hot milk to the roux while stirring gently with the whisk to dissolve any lumps of flour. Heat the mixture, still over medium-low heat, stirring often, until it is bubbling vigorously and has thickened, about 3 minutes. Gradually add the hot stock, stirring gently with a wooden spoon. Heat until a few bubbles break on the surface and then continue to cook, stirring very slowly, for about 3 minutes longer. The mixture should be pale beige and opaque. If the liquid starts to stick to the bottom of the pan, move the pan off the heat, whisk to recombine the ingredients, and let cool slightly.
- Add the asparagus puree to the milk-stock mixture and stir until blended. Add the kosher salt and pepper, reduce the heat so that small bubbles only occasionally break the surface, cover and cook for 10 minutes. During this time, uncover the pan once or twice and stir the soup base to make sure it is not sticking to the bottom.
- Stir in the cream. The soup should be on low heat. Stir constantly until hot, about 5 minutes. Do not allow it to boil. If the soup is too thick, you can add milk, ¼ cup at a time. Remove the pan from the heat, let the soup cool, and serve.
Makes 4 servings